I've been an entrepreneur for as long as I can remember. As a kid, I started selling cool rocks even before I sold lemonade. At age 8, I hired my two friends to deliver newspapers and gave them 75 cents a day, and I kept 25 cents. I've gone on to start much larger companies, divisions within companies, both within the US and outside, that have led to both success and failure. Venture backed, partnerships, bootstrapped, high growth, retail, commercial real estate, technology, energy, B2B, B2C, B20 - nobody is there to buy) and more. I’ve learned my greatest life and business lessons from my failures. I recently completed a book for Wiley & Sons, entitled The 7 Non Negotiables of Winning: Tying Soft Traits to Hard Results, which you can read about here: http://www.7nns.com. My current company, Fishbowl, is a culmination of everything I’ve learned over my 30-plus business years.

Double Dare: Why More Than 2M U.S. Workers Per Month Leave Corporate Jobs

"When you leave your perch of security, that is when your dreams will come true." - Photo courtesy of Suchitra Mishra

Two weeks ago, I wrote about the greatest risks being the opportunities not taken in my article Double Dare: Will You Begin A New Business in 2013?

Shortly after that article posted I received the following note from a burgeoning entrepreneur in India—a woman entrepreneur, no less–who went solo in the midst of a highly uncertain economy last year. Here’s what she said:

Hello David – I took that double dare in 2012 when I left my job to go solo Your post lays down all that I believe in. I am hoping that in 2013, I can find the courage to rise above my remaining fears and fly high. Thank you for all that you have taught me in 2012 through your posts. Wishing you great success with your upcoming book. Regards, Suchitra Mishra

It was stunning to me to hear Suchitra’s personal experience. She left an associate vice president position in a company where she had worked for the prior eight years. Her note led me to do a little more research into the available data on employees and executives who voluntarily leave their jobs—particularly in senior positions—in order to join or launch startup ventures. Suchitra is far from alone. In India, while the job market will become slightly better in 2013, in many respects, leaving a corporate position (especially as a woman executive) is riskier still.

In the U.S. however, where our jobs data is a little clearer, “quit” levels are higher than ever before, and even increasing, even while unemployment holds steady at an estimated 7.8%. The number of people leaving jobs surpassed an astonishing 2 million per month during most months of 2012 according to the Bureau of Labor statistics.

Why? From the people I hear from, there are many reasons. Some readers note a national (and even global) culture that is increasingly valuing fulfillment above all else within a company or a job. In many cases, individuals didn’t leave a job, they left a particular boss or a company. A highly popular Forbes article from fellow contributor Ty Kiisel noted, in fact, that 60% of respondents said they would choose a better boss over a raise. What does that mean? Here’s the big takeaway for companies like my own: if a company could meet these individuals’ needs, people would stay. And staying holds advantages as I recently wrote about as well here: 10 Reasons to Stay at a job for 10 or more years.

For the many individuals who are taking the Double Dare to start a new business in 2013—you may find some inspiration in the reasons Suchitra spoke of to me and also in her recent blog post about the five reasons she said “goodbye” to her former high-ranking corporate job.

Suchitra Mishra, a former Associate VP, now provides management consulting through her new firm, Oorja Biz Ops (Photo courtesy of Suchitra Mishra)

Says Suchitra: “Okay, I did it. I quit my job as an associate vice president in a super company where I worked for the last eight years. No, I didn’t have another job offer in hand. No, I haven’t won the lottery or gotten a huge inheritance either. And yes, I still have my wits about me. Why, then, am I leaving the security of a well-paid corporate job? The answer (which took me around a year to discover) is this – I want to work happier. In the past year, I have made being ‘Happy in the Now’ the guiding philosophy of my life, and since the largest chunk of my time goes into work — need I say any more?”

The Five Reasons

1: Getting out of the “Comfort Zone” - I realized I had become too comfortable and in my view, being too comfortable is a sure path to getting stuck and becoming mediocre. I knew I could do more–much more than the challenges my current environment set for me. So finding a new environment made sense. Of course this was not easy as I had to think through and get real about the Security Myth (security doesn’t actually exist anymore in the typical corporate world.)

2: Personal Growth or Enrichment – This is about moving from a “been there/done that” feeling to “I can’t wait to get my hands on that,” which is what I feel now. Pay hikes, promotions and awards, though satisfying, lose their sheen when you weigh them against what a position takes out of you. I have reached a stage where what makes me the happiest is when I get to try something new and succeed at it or the contentment of getting a job well done. The Pursuit of Lifelong Learning is a reward in itself.

3: Flexibility or Independence – Ahh – the freedom of being able to choose your own assignments, to be totally accountable and to go after only what your own gut and heart tell you – can there be anything more liberating than that? Add to that flexibility in schedules, setting your own priorities and deciding your own business goals – it is scary, but so exciting. I do realize this makes me the only person to blame if I fail, but hey – what’s life without a bit of adventure? Sure, my failure is mine alone, but so will be my success.

4: Earning or Giving Back Potential – This one is a pure economic consideration – if I stay in a secure job, I know almost to the exact amount what I will earn next year, the year after, that and so on. It’s a guaranteed income, no doubt, but there’s only so far that it can go. Weighing this against the possibilities of entrepreneurship–well, the sky is the limit. I also realize that time is precious and there is much I want to do to give back to the community. I have plans to leave the world a little better, make the lives of a few a little easier and there is much I can and should be doing already. Grandiose, they may be, but I want to convert these wishes into reality sooner rather than later.

5: The Entrepreneurship Bug – Doing something of my own has been a recurring dream and a theme in the back of my mind for almost all of my life. I have very definite ideas about starting, running and succeeding in a business and have worked for others in putting these ideas into action my entire career. It was high time, I realized, that I took the gauntlet myself. Micro entrepreneurship allows me to experiment in being agile, innovative and in moving between doing and managing while striving to limit my risks. So yes – this is the pursuit of my dream and my passion.

As a businesswoman, Suchitra tells me that anyone looking for someone to get things done in their business can look no further. “I can manage your operations so that you can manage your business,” she says. You can find her personal and professional blog [here] and you get a glimpse at her professional profile here. “Call me your super-temp, interim COO or your brain for rent – I am available to execute your operational strategy,” she says.

I’m betting on Suchitra’s success. How about you?

But back to the general theme—what do you think about Suchitra’s decision? Even more importantly, what do you think of her reasons for taking the leap? As you assess your own goals and your own future, what is it that motivates you or would stop you from following your own wildest dream? What is your own Double Dare?

I welcome your thoughts. I imagine Suchitra does too, and she may jump in and add her own remarks in response to your comments to my own. Thank you for reading.

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Dave, this is a great story. Entrepreneurship is hard and we’re kidding ourselves if we think everyone can do it successfully. I love your balanced thinking. There are lots of great reasons to stay in a job! Great piece! -ddt

I definitely think times are ‘a-changin’ in the business world when it comes to why an employee stays or goes. Gone are the days when a paycheck validates the headache of poor working environments and unrealistic, unappreciative cultures. I applaud Suchitra, as well as David and Fishbowl’s bravery in doing what it takes to be leaders and teaching that success can come without compromise in happiness and culture!

Ian, you are right – it takes more from organizations these days to make them companies worth staying with. We need to work very hard to meet that challenge as an organization, and thankfully, I believe that we do. I appreciate your remarks. Regards, David

Thank you, Ian. Loved your statement – success can come without compromise in happiness and culture. It just takes some time to understand what really makes a person happy. Once that clarity is there, the path to success and contentment becomes so clear.